3 Tips for Long Flights and Time Differences with T1D
I recently got back from Hawaii and had such an amazing trip and I am so so grateful for my experience😊 It was my first time visiting the island of Maui and I loved it. Everyone there was so friendly and just had so much love for life. The common theme I noticed about everyone who lived there was that they were extremely happy to just be there, living a slow paced life in such a beautiful place. Since I’ve been diagnosed with type one diabetes, this was the longest trip I’ve taken with the longest flight and time difference. When it came to my prescriptions, I felt a little sense of ease knowing that I would still be in the US if there was an emergency and I needed another prescription sent to me. Traveling with T1D can cause major anxiety, so I wanted to make sure I was EXTRA prepared. I’m going to share my 3 tips for traveling with long flights and time differences.
1. Set Up a Call with Endocrinologist:
First things first I called my endo to see if/how I needed to change any of my insulin needs. I knew I would need to adjust taking my background (basal) insulin since there was going to be a 6 hour time difference. I take this every night so I have background insulin in me to keep by sugars steady when I don’t have any active insulin in me. My endo and I decided that I would continue to take it NY time, which was 6 hours ahead of Hawaii so I took it every afternoon (Hawaii time). Traveling through time zones always confuses me especially when you throw in taking insulin at the right time, so I called my endo to talk it through with her and make sure I was doing the right thing.
2. Packing Enough Supplies:
Frio Cooling Case – I am still on shots so I need to take extra insulin pens. Insulin needs to be stored in the fridge when it is not in use. Once it’s out of the fridge for more than a few hours, it has a shelf life of about 30 days. Since I didn’t want my insulin to go bad while traveling, I bought myself another frio cooling case that can hold a few vials of insulin so I could travel with all my extra insulin and then keep it in the hotel mini fridge without worrying about it going bad.
Pack all the extra supplies – extra lancets, test strips, Dexcom, glucose meter, alcohol wipes etc. I go into more detail about what to pack and why in this blog post here.
3. Pack Enough Snacks
I wanted to make sure I had enough snacks with me because I knew I was going to have long travel days and long flights. For lows, I went to Trader Joe’s and got dried apricot and dried mango. I packed a few gomacro bars with me to have for breakfast when traveling because I like the source of protein, fat and carbs in the bars (even though they don’t have the cleanest ingredients.) For lower carb options, I bought Lesser Evil popcorn snack packs and mixed nuts to bring with me. Once I got to the airport I bought myself some apple juice to have on me for lows as well, which is something I do on every flight, no matter how short.
I always pack everything in my carry on so I know all my supplies and snacks are always on me. I ended up packing way more than I needed but that’s the point. I wanted to be totally prepared and made sure I had more than enough supplies and snacks. Making sure that I’m fully prepared when traveling is something that is in my control. It makes me feel a lot less anxious when I’m traveling and on vacation because I know I have everything that I need and did everything in my control to be prepared.
Once I arrived in Maui I had to make some insulin adjustments just based on my glucose numbers I was seeing. I wasn’t cooking meals for myself and was eating all meals out. Even if you opt for a healthier option, you have to remember that most restaurants cook with a lot of oils/fat, so you may see some of those delayed blood sugar spikes. Understand that you are out of your routine and it’s ok if your blood sugars are not perfect. If you’re traveling through time zones, it’s also important to understand your sleep schedule and hormones are probably all of whack, which can directly impact your blood sugars. Always be kind to yourself and let go of that perfectionist mindset. Do the best you can and to enjoy your vacation and travel😊
Overall I had an amazing trip and felt really good about the snacks and supplies I packed for my travel and trip. I had no major hiccups and that is a win for me!
Sending love, light and positivity!
xxxx
Gab
